With the Tea Party Patriots as backup — the group that sponsored the March to Save America that devolved into the Jan. 6 insurrection — they’re forming plans to attach the SAVE Act to must-pass pieces of legislation.
It’s unclear exactly what this new version will look like, but House Majority Leader Steve Scalise says it will include a picture ID requirement. However, if he had read the bill, he would have known that the SAVE Act, as it stands, already does.
Back in September, Cleta Mitchell, the far-right lawyer and anti-voting activist, proposed a “Super SAVE Act,” which would “review your voter rolls for free for a state and identify any non-citizens so those can be removed.”
Either way, the idea of a bigger, more aggressive SAVE Act should concern everyone who cares about free and fair elections.
Donald Trump and Republicans are back to pushing for the SAVE Act because they know they are behind in the polling for the midterm elections. Rather than try to improve their standing with voters, they want to suppress them. Rather than enact new laws that would benefit their constituents, they want to change the rules to disenfranchise them.
Those of you who are close readers of my newsletter know that it is not just Republicans in Congress who are motivated to rig the outcome; it is Donald Trump as well. Trump knows that the Republican majority in Congress is the one thing standing between him and his authoritarian dream.
The SAVE Act — and particularly a Super SAVE Act — would put every voter’s registration and access to the polls at risk.
For the almost 70 million American women whose names no longer match the ones on their birth certificates, this will be a roadblock. And who are women more likely to vote for? Just look at who is marching in the streets in Minneapolis. Look at who showed up to the No Kings rallies across the country. Republicans may want to disparage them as “wine moms,” but come Election Day, they will refer to them as “Democrats.”
Many Native American voters will have to drive hours to show proof of citizenship. Alaskan and Hawaiian voters may have to hop on planes. Voters may show up on Election Day — unaware that their registration status has changed — unable to vote. And of course, only 23 states and Washington, D.C., have same-day registration, if voters can even quickly access the documents they need to begin with.
Voter suppression isn’t always obvious. It’s not always loud. Inconveniencing voters — in ways they may not always realize — is an effective form of voter suppression. And Republicans are certainly becoming fond of weaponizing inconvenience.
That’s not to mention their plan to invade voters’ privacy. Attorney General Pam Bondi is trying to compile a database of sensitive voting information on hundreds of millions of Americans. This would be dangerous under any circumstances, but we certainly cannot put our trust in an administration that is detaining five-year-olds.
Naturally, Trump has taken his pressure campaign for the SAVE Act to Truth Social. Once you get past the pop-up ads for the “Melania” movie, you’ll find posts urging voters to “demand voter I.D.,” and of course, spreading his favorite lie that “rigged elections are common in the U.S.”
This is all part of Trump’s plan to undermine free and fair elections this fall. Sow doubt about our elections. Make it harder for Americans to vote. Spread conspiracy theories that keep people home on Election Day.
If that doesn’t work, go to court to subvert the election results. And, as a final measure, resort to violence.
We have 10 months to fight against this power grab and prepare for what comes next. Five months to defeat oppressive Republican laws and dispel their lies.
Lawyers like me will do our part. So will independent media outlets like Democracy Docket. But we need everyone to be in this fight for our country. Together, we can defeat Republican voter suppression, hold Trump accountable and start to rebuild our democracy.
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